Group Files Complaint Against COAST

A group working to defeat Issue 48
filed a complaint today against a conservative group with the Ohio
Elections Commission.

Cincinnatians for Progress, which is
urging a "no" vote on Issue 48, filed the complaint against
the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST). It
alleges COAST knowingly and repeatedly has made false statements in
its campaign in support of the ballot initiative.

The complaint cites 20 instances in the
past two months in which COAST allegedly made false statements in
violation of Ohio Revised Code Section 3517.22. Most involve
allegations the city has taken funds away from fire services to fund
the streetcar project.

On its Twitter feed, COAST has made
multiple allegations on a daily basis of blaming the "browning
out" of certain Fire Department companies on the streetcar
project. It has made similar claims on the campaign trail.
“Companies” is firefighter lingo for a ladder track, a pumper or
a heavy rescue unit and the four people who work on each. During a
brownout, those workers are transferred to other duties. City
administrators have said the actions are needed to reduce the
department's soaring overtime costs and help avoid a projected
deficit for 2012 that could reach $33 million.

The brownouts are unconnected to the
streetcar project, administrators added. The project is funded
through state and federal grants, along with construction bonds from
the city's Capital Improvements budget. But the brownouts are needed
to cut costs in the city's General Fund budget, which covers daily
operations.

Under Ohio elections law, anyone found
guilty of making false statements could face up to six months in jail
and a $5,000 fine.

In its press release announcing the
complaint, Cincinnatians for Progress stated, "COAST has
conducted a relentless campaign of deliberate misinformation about
Issue 48 in the face of definitive evidence that their statements are
wrong. Not only are the facts widely available in local media and
city records, they have been provided directly to COAST officials by
the city."

The release added, "Our goal in
filing this action to to assure that city voters can cast their
ballots based on accurate, authoritative information."

If approved by voters, Issue 48 would
prohibit Cincinnati from building any streetcar system through Dec.
31, 2020. Because the initiative also prohibits any design or
planning work for a system, it likely blocks any such project for at
least 15 years, urban planning experts have said.

Issue 48 is being pushed by COAST and
the NAACP's local chapter.

The two groups backed a similar ballot
initiative in 2009. It sought to require a public vote before
taxpayer money was used for any rail-related project within
Cincinnati; voters rejected the amendment, 56 percent to 44 percent.